Intra-annual sediment dynamic assessment in the Wei River Basin, China, using the AIC functional-structural connectivity index

Wu, Zhenni; Nunes, João Pedro; López‐Vicente, Manuel

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109775

Cited by 14 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…The temporal changes in sediment connectivity in the Wei River Basin between 1982 and 2020 exhibited significant spatial variation and were influenced by differences in ecological management practices across different sites. Catchment-wide analysis indicated that the IC was highest in the Jing sub-basin and lowest in the Beiluo sub-basin (Figure 6), which is consistent with previous studies highlighting that areas with high connectivity are typically characterized by gullies and those with low connectivity are marked by low vegetation cover and gentle slopes (Wu et al, 2023;Zhou et al, 2022). Notably, the Jing River, which serves as the primary source of sediment for the Wei River basin, has witnessed significant reductions in sediment transport due to enhanced soil and water conservation measures.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Such an analysis can provide a better understanding of sediment transport and soil erosion, enabling the implementation of more effective measures for soil and water conservation at a regional level. Wu et al (2023) assessed the sediment dynamics for scale of basin through connectivity index. However, studies on sediment connectivity at larger catchment scales are relatively limited.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The temporal variation of sediment connectivity from 1982 to 2020 in the Wei River basin, China

Liao,

2023

Hydrological Processes

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Sediment connectivity is a valuable metric that characterizes the relationship between sediment transport from the source to the sink, and the ease of sediment erosion. Over the past four decades, changes in land use types and vegetation cover have significantly altered sediment dynamics in the Wei River basin. In this study, we used the index of connectivity (IC) to assess the temporal changes in sediment connectivity at a watershed scale. We employed Landsat images to analyse the relationship between changes in vegetation cover or land use type and sediment connectivity. We used factor detector and interaction detector in Geodetector to analyse the importance and impact of vegetation and slope on IC changes. We assessed the correlation of sediment yield and connectivity to validate our results and it shows that IC has strong or moderate positive correlation with sediment yield from eight out of nine stations in the Wei River Basin. Our findings demonstrate that soil and water conservation measures, as well as the grain for green project, have led to the transformation of cropland and grassland into woodland. This change is reflected in the decrease of the maximum IC value from 6.24 to 5.72 in the Beiluo sub‐basin, indicating a decreasing trend in sediment connectivity. Although the maximum IC value increased from 5.76 to 5.08 in the Jing sub‐basin, driven by human activity, showing an increasing trend. Furthermore, the IC value decreased in the western part of the Wei sub‐basin. Overall, sediment connectivity exhibits a weak decreasing trend in most regions of the Wei River basin, while it shows an increasing trend slightly in the Jing sub‐basin. The correlation coefficients ranged from 0.47 to 0.86, with sediment yield being moderately or strongly correlated with IC. Our study identified vegetation, human activity, and slope as the main influencing factors of IC. The results of factor detector showed that the q value of vegetation was 0.63 and the slope was 0.1, Vegetation played a major role in the change of IC. The results of interaction detector showed that interaction between vegetation and slope was greater than the single factor. The temporal variability of sediment connectivity in the basin provides valuable insights for sediment transport management. Our research highlights the importance of studying sediment connectivity and offers proposals for measures that can be taken to address sediment transport challenges in the Wei River basin.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The temporal variation of sediment connectivity from 1982 to 2020 in the Wei River basin, China

Liao,

2023

Hydrological Processes

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“…Indeed, functional factors, particularly rainfall, not only alter the location of rivers and vegetation but also have a directly affect soil erosion, thus becoming integral to connectivity studies (Millares‐Valenzuela et al, 2022; Rodríguez Flores et al, 2022). Furthermore, exploring the dynamics of connectivity under fluctuating climatic conditions can deepen our comprehension of basin functioning (Wu et al, 2023). In other words, this study's limitation resides in its focus on structural connectivity, influenced by river network structure, vegetation characteristics, and topographical features, while overlooking the functional components of spatial and temporal variability, such as rainfall (Zanandrea et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Zhao et al (2022) considered the response variables such as river network structure and topography, revealing that changes in flow length significantly affected sediment connectivity, thereby offering an advantage in identifying sediment transport paths. The spatial dynamics of connectivity under the context of river network alteration can deepen our comprehension of watersheds (Wu et al, 2023). Additionally, connectivity has been highlighted as a vital factor in controlling and influencing erosion capacity and water quality alterations (Zhao et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elucidating the response mechanisms of hydrological and sediment connectivity to the river network structure, vegetation, and topographic features in the Jinghe River Basin

Liu,

Wu,

Guo

et al. 2024

Land Degrad Dev

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The management of basin water and soil resources greatly benefits from investigating the spatial changes and primary determinants of hydrological and sediment connectivity from perspectives of topographic features, vegetation characteristics, structural features of river networks. However, quantifying the effects of influencing factors and their interactions on connectivity is still a challenge in the field of studies of surface processes. To address this challenge, we applied the geographical detector model (GDM) and random forest (RF) to quantify the relative importance and explanatory power of topographic factors, vegetation features, and river network structure on the hydrological connectivity and sediment connectivity and to clarify the interaction mechanism of various factors in the Jinghe River Basin. Results indicate that from 2005 to 2020, the mean value of hydrological connectivity (ICH) witnessed a decreasing trend from −5.47 to −5.58. Similarly, the mean value of sediment connectivity (ICS) declined over the same period from −9.74 to −10.05, with high values registered in valleys and low values in plains. The river density (D) and hydrological weight factor (normalized SCS‐CN) exhibited a greater spatial explanatory power on ICH than other parameters, reaching 0.149 and 0.182, respectively. The vegetation factor (0.299) and sediment weight factor (0.410) manifested considerably more influence over ICS. Spatial integration between relevant elements can enhance our understanding of basin connectivity. Interactions between vegetation, topography, and river network structure provide more explanatory power compared to interactions among same‐type features. Ultimately, this study offers a theoretical template for understanding the management of soil and water resources in the Jinghe River Basin, as well as the spatial variability in soil erosion.

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“…Due to the simple and clear calculation scheme, the IC and its modified versions have been widely applied to qualitatively estimate potential sediment connectivity and SDR between catchment components in different regions (e.g., Lopez-Vicente and Ben-Salem, 2019;Zanandrea et al, 2020;Zhao et al, 2020;Olsen et al, 2021;Zeng et al, 2023). So far, few studies have investigated connectivity on large basin scale due to the spatial heterogeneity of large areas and the presence of complex landforms and land uses (Wu et al, 2023). The IC concept has never been used in Australia for SDR and sediment yield related studies in a catchment scale.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating sediment delivery ratios using connectivity index and high-resolution digital elevation model at lower Snowy River area, Australia

2023

MODSIM2023, 25th International Congress on Modelling and Simulation.

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Understanding patterns of sediment transport and deposition in natural landscapes is critical in developing cost-effective mitigation measures to control soil erosion and protect water quality. Many physical based models are capable to assess spatio-temporal patterns in sediment dynamics, but difficult to be applied in wilderness areas with little field data. For the first time, the sediment connectivity index (IC) was applied to examine the sediment and connectivity patterns across a rugged landscape in the lower Snowy River area, Kosciuszko National Park, Australia. A high-resolution (2 m) digital elevation model (DEM) was used to derive a seven-class landform classification based on the fuzzy logic landform model (FLAG). Sediment and erosion models (SedAlp, RUSLE) were used to estimate the IC, erosion and sediment yield in a geographic information system (GIS) environment. Field work was carried out at 12 paired vegetation plot sites to measure fractional vegetation cover and slope parameters and take soil samples for laboratory analysis which were in turn used to validate the model estimation. Results show that IC has moderate to strong positive correlation with SDR which can be used to estimate the overall sediment budget across landscapes. The lower slopes in the landscape appear to have a higher sediment connectivity due to steep slopes and degraded vegetation condition caused by feral animal and human disturbances, while the valley has the lowest sediment connectivity on average due to better ecological restoration. Findings from this study can be used to locate and monitor the areas likely to generate high sediment yield and nutrient transport for developing ecological restoration, feral animal management and other catchment management measures. Compared to the empirical equations developed for specific areas, the IC based SDR estimation is generic thus it's applicable elsewhere.

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Intra-annual sediment dynamic assessment in the Wei River Basin, China, using the AIC functional-structural connectivity index

Cited by 14 publications

References 69 publications

The temporal variation of sediment connectivity from 1982 to 2020 in the Wei River basin, China

The temporal variation of sediment connectivity from 1982 to 2020 in the Wei River basin, China

Elucidating the response mechanisms of hydrological and sediment connectivity to the river network structure, vegetation, and topographic features in the Jinghe River Basin

Estimating sediment delivery ratios using connectivity index and high-resolution digital elevation model at lower Snowy River area, Australia

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